Genesis 4:1–17

Cain and Abel

4Adam made love to his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the Lord’s help I have had a baby boy.” ²Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Abel took care of sheep. Cain worked the ground. ³After some time, Cain gathered some of the things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the Lord.

⁴But Abel brought the fattest parts of some of the lambs from his flock. They were the male animals that were born first to their mothers.

The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering. ⁵But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry. His face was sad.

⁶Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? ⁷Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it.”

⁸Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went out. There Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I supposed to look after my brother?”

¹⁰The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.

¹¹“So I am putting a curse on you. I am driving you away from the ground. It has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you work the ground, it will not produce its crops for you anymore. You will be a restless person who wanders around on the earth.”

¹³Cain said to the Lord, “You are punishing me more than I can take. ¹⁴Today you are driving me away from the land. I will be hidden from you. I’ll be a restless person who wanders around on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “No. Anyone who kills you will be paid back seven times.” The Lord put a mark on Cain. Then anyone who found him wouldn’t kill him.

¹⁶So Cain went away from the Lord. He lived in the land of Nod. It was east of Eden.

¹⁷Cain made love to his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time Cain was building a city. He named it after his son Enoch.